Clothing, Conformity, and Power: Garment Imagery in the Book of Esther

What is it about?

Recent scholarship has shown a burgeoning interest in the narrative functions and implications of references to dress and adornment in the Hebrew Bible. In particular, a number of scholars have demonstrated the significance of clothing as an important motif in the Joseph story, Genesis 37-50. On the other hand, the many references to the various clothing items and associated acts of dressing and undressing in the book of Esther have been less explored – despite the connections that exist between the stories of Esther and Joseph more generally and, as this essay will demonstrate, between the clothing imagery shared between Esther and Joseph in particular. In fact, the imagery of clothing in the book of Esther presupposes that of Joseph, as well as a variety of other texts concerning clothing and kingship in the Hebrew Bible, transforming and intensifying this imagery. As such, understanding the function of clothing in the book of Esther is essential to properly interpreting and unpacking this text. Crucially, the power and status of the various characters is made manifest through their items of dress. The book of Esther weaves a complex tapestry of garment imagery, with implications for understanding the power, status and intentions of its various characters and their world.

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